By: Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports
At 9.00 am at Marina Mandarin Hotel, Singapore
Dr Pauline Meemeduma, International Consultant on child protection for UNICEF and the Christian Brothers of Australia
Guests and Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
Good morning and a very warm welcome to all of you, especially our guests from Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia.
Thirteen years ago, on this very day, Singapore acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yesterday, we marked Children's Day. Today's Symposium has been organised to coincide with these events.
Impact of Violence on Children
Today's symposium will look at family violence ''From the Lens of a Child'' and explore how we can break the cycle of intergenerational violence. Looking at issues of family violence from the child's perspective recognises the intrinsic value of every child, his needs and how his views of the world is shaped by his experience of family life. It also reaffirms the rights of a child to protection.
Family violence has a terrible impact on children regardless of whether these children are direct victims of abuse or innocent witnesses of the violence at home. Studies have shown that children who witness violence exhibit a host of behavioural and emotional problems. Victims of child abuse or neglect often suffer from low self-esteem and feelings of betrayal that may lead to anger, hostility, distrust of others and under-achievements in school and in their worklife. Research findings have also found a link between child abuse and subsequent criminal behaviour.
All of these translate to the need for early intervention and treatment for the child victim. We need to probe deeper, discover the underlying causes and help children in need, rather than to simplistically react to a child's misbehaviours.
Statistics on Children Exposed to Family Violence
A study[1] by the Singapore Subordinate Courts found that children were directly involved in family violence or had witnessed family violence in 32% of family violence cases seen at the Family Court in 2003 and between February and March of 2004. In 81% of these cases, children tried to intervene through ways such as calling the police or coming between their parents to stop them from fighting.
Professionals' Role in Breaking Intergenerational Cycle
The Singapore family violence networking system and the child protection framework recognise that the role of protecting vulnerable persons is a shared responsibility.
Adequate and effective protection is possible only with the active involvement of the professionals, the community, and people who are in regular contact with the families. The Family and Child Protection system requires the firm support of the hospitals, the police, the courts and community organisations such as family service centres. The systems are closely interlinked as interventions are often needed for both the child witnesses and the adult victims of family violence. Hence, it is opportune at this symposium, for professionals involved in both family violence and child protection to further strengthen their linkages.
A foremost concern is that child victims in such households could grow up to perpetuate the cycle of violence. We must try to break this cycle and give these children a future that is not scarred by their violent past. There are no easy answers. We must try to keep abreast of international best practices and sound research to refine preventive and intervention programmes, policies, protocols and practices.
At the case intervention level, our systems of intervention need to be tightened and closely linked so that timely and appropriate help is given to the child and the family. We need also to constantly look at our interventions through the eyes of the child in order to be responsive to their needs and their rights.
In the case of child sexual abuse for example, the professionals need to recognise the conflicting emotions present in the child. On the one hand, they want the abuse to stop and look to their family and professionals for help. Yet, they also experience a sense of shame, guilt and fear that they may be breaking up their family.
This turmoil may be presented outwardly in different ways by the child. It is important that the professionals are aware and sensitive to these dilemmas and are child-focused in their responses. It is a huge disservice to such victims when professionals doubt their initial disclosure of abuse.
Launch of Integrated Manual 'Management of Child Abuse Cases in Singapore'
To help our professionals and volunteers respond effectively to child abuse cases, the integrated manual on the 'Management of Child Abuse Cases in Singapore' has been revised by the Inter-Ministry Working Group. The last revision took place in 2003.
The revised manual now includes child-focused practices, coordinated response of the key ministries, and guidelines for joint interviews by the police and the Child Protection Officer as we want to reduce the number of repeated interviews with the victims which can be traumatic. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of our new partners, namely the Attorney General's Chambers and the mental health professionals, who play an important part in this inter-agency collaboration. It is my hope that all agencies will work closely as outlined in this manual so that our interventions are child-focused and in the best interest of each child.
Family Violence Dialogue Group Appreciation Award
The Family Violence Dialogue Group comprises governmental and non-governmental representatives. They focus on strategic development and planning to combat family violence and comprise policy-makers and professionals from diverse fields such as the judiciary, social services, enforcement, education and healthcare. This year, the Family Violence Dialogue Group has decided to recognise inter-agency good practices. They have introduced the Family Violence Dialogue Group Appreciation Award to recognise and underscore the importance of inter-agency cooperation, victim-centred approaches, and openness to innovation and learning from best practices.
I understand the nine selected individuals and teams from the nominations have exhibited outstanding competency, exercised vigilance in detecting child protection concerns and displayed ability through a team approach to manage and prevent the violence from escalating. I hope this Award will spur all agencies to greater heights in the protection of our children and families.
A Recent Child Abuse Case
I would like to end with the story of a recent child protection case and how close inter-agency cooperation has helped him. Let's call this boy Joseph. Joseph is an 11-year-old boy who was subjected to years of harsh and humiliating physical, emotional abuse and neglect. This was one of the more serious cases that the Child Protection Service had seen. He was stripped naked and caned over an extended period of time. He was called derogative names by his parents and ridiculed by his younger siblings. The doctor who examined him assessed the injuries to be extensive.
When the Child Protection Service placed him with his relatives for his immediate safety, he showed defiance and agitated behaviour because of the trauma he had experienced from his family. He was eventually placed in a children's home which he resisted greatly. He wanted to go back to his relatives. He felt abandoned and hopelessness. The Child Protection Officer, psychologist, and the staff of his school and the children home worked with him and gave him the space to share his wishes and his feelings. Gradually, Joseph became more emotionally stable and gained resilience. The boy is slowly learning to trust adults.
Many things have worked in this case, the swift response to prosecution, the therapy that allowed him to work at his pace through his grief and loss, the consistent message from the professionals that he is not to be blamed, the strong school support, the inter-agency discussions and child-focused practices, and the decisions made by the Juvenile Court that placed the boy's welfare as the paramount consideration.
On a more personal note, the Child Protection Officer, who is managing this case, had reflected on Joseph's traumatic experience and wrote a poem as a reminder of both the overt and hidden scars of this boy. It is also a reminder to us of the many other children who suffer as victims of child abuse. I will read you that poem which captured Joseph's emotional turmoil:
I Want to Stay with the Tree
Do you know how much I long,
For your one word of praise?
Yet everything I did was wrong.
I hear your voice blaring in my face,
The one who loved me was gone.
Oh how I yearned for your touch,
When my body hurts so,
You turned away, didn't bother much,
My eyes traced your steps, my pain untold,
As you drift'd off with a shrug.
If you can't have me,
I want to stay with the tree.
Let me go far far away,
I will find a place.
A bright, magical one,
with butterflies dancing in the sun.
How can I talk to you, like...
Before? You'd smiled at me.
When I could sit close by your side,
As you read out stories of Winnie.
And then you kissed me goodnight.
What are they asking me now?
I don't want to think, please...
But I want it to stop somehow,
God, take me out of these miseries!
I want to shout it out loud!
Don't you know I still want you?
Just can't find words to say.
My real needs, if only you knew.
For you to accept me I will pray.
I wish you'll know how I feel.
Conclusion
Many of you are here in your professional capacity. You all know that this is an area of work that will drain you emotionally and physically. I commend you for pouring your hearts into healing families facing violence.
I wish you all a fruitful and rewarding symposium.
Thank you very much.
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[1] Source: Family Court of Singapore, 2007.
MCYS SPEECH NO: 52/2008
DATE OF ISSUE: 2/10/2008